By Matt Spitalnick and Jasper Ward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has seized an aircraft used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown it from the Dominican Republic to Florida after determining that its purchase violated U.S. sanctions, the Justice Department said on Monday.
The seizure of the plane came amid continuing pressure on Maduro at home and abroad over the disputed July 28 election that he claimed to have won, while the opposition said its vote results showed that its candidate had decisively defeated him.
Maduro, his associates and the OPEC member’s vital oil sector are under heavy US sanctions, and his handling of the election has raised the prospect of further measures.
The Dassault Falcon 900EX was illegally purchased for $13 million through a front company and smuggled out of the United States “for use by Nicolas Maduro and his cronies,” US Attorney Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“Let’s make this seizure send a clear message: aircraft illegally obtained from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan officials cannot just fly off into the sunset,” said Matthew Axelrod, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Enforcement.
The seizure, first reported by CNN, was carried out in close cooperation with the Dominican Republic, US officials said.
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This is an important step to ensure that Maduro continues to feel the consequences of his mismanagement of Venezuela,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said.
The spokesman added that a wide range of independent sources showed that Maduro and his representatives “manipulated the results of the July 28 presidential election, falsely claimed victory and carried out widespread repression to maintain power by force.”
A US Justice Department investigation found that in late 2022 and early 2023 “persons affiliated with Maduro allegedly used a Caribbean-based front company to conceal their involvement in the illegal purchase of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft.”
The US Justice Department said the plane was illegally exported from the United States to Venezuela via the Caribbean last year, and has since flown to and from a Venezuelan military base and been used “for the benefit of Maduro and his representatives, including transporting Maduro on visits to other countries.”